For the third straight game Monday night, Marcus Camby will start at power forward for the Knicks, with Amar’e Stoudemire continuing to come off the bench.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson said at shootaround this morning that Camby would again start in Monday night’s tilt versus the Celtics at the Garden. Stoudemire will be playing his fourth game since returning from knee surgery but remains a reserve; Kurt Thomas started Stoudemire’s first game back, while Camby has gotten the starting nod since.

What’s particularly interesting is that Camby and Stoudemire are playing close to the same minutes as of now — Camby has averaged 14.5 minutes in his two games as a starter, while Stoudemire is averaging just over 18 minutes since returning — yet Woodson is continuing to use his $100 million man off the bench. Camby has said that he foresees Stoudemire in a bench role long-term for the Knicks, declaring that he believes the team’s best lineup is with Carmelo Anthony at the four and saying that Stoudemire has accepted his role.

Rasheed Wallace, another key component of the Knicks’ big man situation, will be out again Monday night due to his ailing left foot.

Wallace, who is missing the chance to play against the Celtics for the first time since he retired after playing for Boston two years ago, has missed the past 11 games.